Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-17
THE WHALING INDUSTRIES
A CAPITAL OF MORE THAN s5,ooo,-
900 ONCE REPRESENTED.

No Whaling Centers To-day in any Coun-
try In the World - The New style Of
Whaling Vessels Now Engaged In the
Trade-whaIIng In IsI4.
1t is estimated that the American whaling
industries at one time represented a cash capi-
tai Of more than q, 100000. As a whale in
those days would yield balleen and oil to the
value Of 500 to $500, and one vessel would
often return from a cruise with these products
from the carcasses of twenty or more whales,
it Is evident the money was well invested. The
average amount Of oil to be had from a single
whale was from 1000 to 4, ,2OU gallons. A
whale usually produced from twenty to thirty
tons of blubber, with an average OF 200 gal
Ions Of oil TO each ton. Although ships have
been known TO return from q voyage clear"
that is. without having taken a whale, this
was q rare thing. The greatest take ever made
was that Of the Gibson, which brought home
forty four whales, that yielded 30 tons Of oil,
or $50 gallons 20 the ton. This Was in 1914,
when oil was worth slGO per ton. The cargo
yielded Si7, SO
NO WHALING CESTERs TO-DAY.
centers to-day in any country in the world
The Scotch fishers of this class combine seal
ing and other work with that Of cruising for
whales, and the capture Of one OF these ocean
monsters is the exception rather than the
rule. Tue French whslers sre 50 few and
represent so small a class that like the Amer
lean trade the whale fishery in France is said
TO be thing Of the past. Although some Of
"a
the ships now engaged in whaling summer in
the Arctics and return in the autumn. Occa-
sionally an adventurous captain will make 9
voyage in southern atitudes and cruise for
the southern or cape whale rather than lay
his vessel up, while others go into winter
quarters near the coast Of Iceland and hunt
the NOrdkaper Of the Icelander.
These whales, however, are so fierce and
their capture attended by 30 many dang n
that 1t is difficult to get a crew willing to
encounter them. A few specimens Of the
humpbacked whale are still found in the
North sea and in the neighborhood Of the
Bermudas, but it is rarely that one OF them
is taken In the early days of Arctic ex-
ploits and the search for a northwest passage
travellers depended largely upon the flesh and
oil of the whale, which they purchased from
the Esquimaux, for their food, and upon the
bone and balleen for their tents, boats and
harpoons Today it is said by those who
have but recently returned from these regions
that il the Esquamaux alone depended upon
the whale for these things they would stsrve
and freeze to death
NEW STYLE oF wHALKRs
The ships now engaged In the trade are
nearly all steam vessels, with which such
famous whalers as the Polly, Rocket, Eastern
Star, Mary and Sam, Rover, Ice King, Glib
son and others if now in commission could
hardly compete. The old sailing vessels that
for years braved the dangers Of an Arctic
winter have most Of them made their last
voyage, although a fee like the Rocket and
Polly are engaged in the coasting trade and
others are in use by the Nova Scotian mack
erel fishers
OF the new style Of whalers the Bear,
Thetis and Alert, that carried out the Greely
relief party about two years ago, are of the
most approved pattern The introduction Of
these steam vessels into the whale fishery
service is regarded by some as another reason
for its decline. They rendered the work too
easy. Not only were they independent Cf
wind and tide, but they were stanchly built,
and could force their way where the old
style vessels did not dare TO go. They were
fortified with additional planks, iron plates,
a false or ice stem and with heavy iron ice
knees, to say nothing Of the heavy iron sides
and stem and the angular blocks used for
bracing the frame. Although strength was
more requisite than fast sailing, these vessels
often made ten knots an hour, and that, too,
through immense fields Of drift ice
A reporter met grizzly bearded old salt OF
90 sitting on the stringpiecs Of the pierhead
at the foot Of Whitehall street the other day,
who summed up the sailors views OF the
whale fishery in q few words The old man
hed spent fifty years in wide ocsans and in
the Arctic circle. but Is content now with
mates berth on three -masted schooner trad
ing along the coast |Whalin' haint not only
no good now," he said, shut taint bin in nigh
onto twenty yearx A whslin' hand Is paid
by lay or q share in ther profits. Taint 10
hard job ter fix things 50 a. Ter show no prof
its, an so Jack gifts no share. His duds is
SUPPLIED ter him from the ships stores at
prices so big that fo'csstle hand usually
comes home in debt ter the ship Perhaps he
hez made a one, two or three years wage
He hez chased the greatest Of this yers earths
monsters far away near Kamscstchy er in
the Orstralisn seas-taint no matter-his
time, toll and sufferin' X paid fer In grub,
grog an terbacker, an that O. the meanest
sort. New York Mail and Express.